Quincy Tree Commission

Initial appointments are for a 3-year term. The membership of the Commission consists of the Director of Central Services, Director of Parks and City Forester, all of which are Ex-Officio members, and 9 citizens. Meetings are called as needed at the Planning & Development Department Conference Room, City Hall Annex; 706 Maine, Third Floor.

The Quincy Tree Commission was formed in February, 1988. Leon Kowalski, Dick Nebe and Tim Jarvis visited Urbana, Illinois, on a fact-finding mission to celebrate the city's 10th year as a Tree City USA. Mayor Hagstrom, Janet Conover, Mike Lavery, Ray Broemmer, Dr. Raad and Bill Bergman were also consulted on the implementation of: Organized Method of Trimming of Trees. Three months later, a meeting was held with Mayor Hagstrom and CIPS to include the city of Quincy in the Tree City USA program.

On December 23, 1988, an ordinance was passed formally establishing the Tree Commission. The Commission included representatives involved in various aspects of the City:

1. Banking2. Horticulture3. Nursery4. Utility5. City6. Park District

Initially, 150 trees were budgeted to be sold to residents for $10 each to keep up with the current tree removal rate. In 2008, the City of Quincy Tree Commission opted to decrease the amount of trees sold to 80 and increase the size of the trees planted to both encourage the public to care for the trees and to discourage tree damage.

Since 1988, Macomb, Hannibal and several other local communities have become satellite cities for the Tree City USA program, and the commitment to community involvement with trees has continued to grow. 2009 was a stellar year for Quincy as it won national recognition as the #1 Tree City in the USA.